COLD WAR I: Berlin Crisis

Teaching Objectives

"The Berlin Crisis" video program and curriculum guide provide opportunities for students to:

1. Learn about political geography, including some natural and cultural geographic features, of Eastern and Western Europe after World War II.

2. Develop planned solutions to foreign policy issues related to the Berlin Crisis, and test them against other possible solutions by using well-reasoned arguments.

3. Explore the interconnection among political, economic, and socio-cultural issues, especially as it relates to the Cold War, the Berlin Crisis, and a developing global community.

4. Explore the points of view of various participants in the Berlin Crisis, comparing and contrasting their experiences.

5. Interpret contemporary issues and events in the former Soviet Union, Germany, and the United States through an exploration of their historical origins.

6. Relate Berlin Crisis events and issues to aspects of their own experiences.

National and State Standards

Use of "The Berlin Crisis" video program and curriculum guide will help students develop the following skills consistent with the National Standards established at McREL (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/) and Oregon State Content Standards.

National Content Standards:

Civics

Standard 23

Understands the impact of significant political and non-political developments on the United States and other nations

Geography

Standard 13

Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth's surface

Historical Understanding

Standard 1

Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns

Standard 2

Understands the historical perspective

United States History

Era 9,
Standard 27

Understands how the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic and international politics

World History

Era 9,
Standard 43

Understands how post-World War II reconstruction occurred, new international power relations took shape, and colonial empires broke up

Era 9,
Standard 44

Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world

Era 9,
Standard 45

Understands major global trends since World War II

Language Arts

Writing, 4

Gathers and uses information for research purposes

Reading, 7

Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

Listening and
Speaking, 8

Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes

Viewing, 9

Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media

Media, 10

Understands the characteristics and components of the media

Thinking and Reasoning

Standard 1

Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument

Standard 6

Applies decision-making techniques

Oregon State Standards:

Content Standard
CIM Standard
Social Science: Civics and Government

Understand how the United States government relates and interacts with other nations.

Understand the impact of significant political and non-political developments on the United States and other nations' international organizations and the role of the United States in them.
Social Science: Geography
Locate places and understand and use geographic information or relationships by reading, interpreting, and preparing maps and other geographic representations.

Interpret and evaluate information using complex geographic representations.
Social Science: Historical Skills

Understand, represent, and interpret chronological relationships in history.

Reconstruct, interpret, and represent the chronology of significant events, developments, and narratives from U.S. history.

Identify and analyze cause and effect relationships in history.

Compare and contrast institutions and ideas in history, noting cause and effect relationships.

Interpret and represent chronological relationships and patterns of change and continuity over time.

Recognize and interpret continuity and/or change with respect to particular historical developments in the twentieth century.

Identify and analyze various perspectives and interpretations of historical issues and events.

Understand how contemporary perspectives affect historical interpretation.
Social Science: World History

Understand the importance and lasting influence of issues, events, people, and developments in world history.

Understand the causes, characteristics, lasting influence, and impact of political, economic, and social developments in world history.

Eligible Content:

Understand the division of Europe after WWII leading to the Cold War.

Understand the impact of the Cold War on individuals, groups, and nations.
Social Science: Social Science Analysis

Identify, research, and clarify an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon of significance to society.

Define, research, and explain an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon and its significance to society.

Gather, use, and evaluate researched information to support analyses and conclusions.

Gather, analyze, use, and document information from various sources, distinguishing facts, opinions, inferences, biases, stereotypes, and persuasive appeals.

Understand an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon from multiple perspectives.

Analyze an event, issue, problem or phenomenon from varied or opposed perspectives or points of view.

Identify and analyze characteristics, causes, and consequences of an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon.

Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon identifying characteristics, influences, causes, and both short- and long-term effects.

Identify, compare, and evaluate outcomes, responses, or solutions, then reach a supported conclusion.

Propose, compare, and judge multiple responses, alternatives, or solutions, then reach a defensible, supported conclusion.
Language Arts: Communication

Communicate knowledge of the topic, including relevant examples, facts, anecdotes, and details.

Convey clear, focused main ideas with accurate, relevant supporting details, including documentation of sources, appropriate to audience and purpose.
Language Arts: Reading

Demonstrate evaluative comprehension of a variety of printed materials.

Analyze and evaluate whether an argument, action, or policy is validated by the evidence in a selection.
Draw connections and explain relationships between reading selections and other texts, experiences, issues, and events.

Extend and deepen comprehension by relating text to other texts, experiences, issues, and events.
Language Arts: Writing

Communicate knowledge of the topic, including relevant examples, facts, anecdotes, and details.

Convey clear, focused main ideas supported by accurate and relevant supporting details, in ways appropriate to topic, audience, and purpose.

Web Resources

Cold War Museum (http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/links.php3) - variety of documents, pages, accounts, and links concerning every aspect of the Cold War. Based in Fairfax, Virginia.

CNN Cold War Special Site (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/) - links to historical radio broadcasts, interviews and other similar materials from or about the period, including a radio broadcast made by Juergen Graf who appears in this video.

U.S. Air Forces in Europe Berlin Airlift Web Site (http://www.usafe.af.mil/berlin/berlin.htm)

United States Air Force Web site (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/postwwii/ba.htm)

A Concrete Curtain; Life and Death of the Berlin Wall (http://www.wall-berlin.org/gb/berlin.htm)

Additional Lesson Plans Involving Cold War Issues and Events (http://www.trumanlibrary.org)

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